Parsec-scale jet precession in BL Lacertae (2200+420)

Abstract

BL Lacertae is the prototype of the BL Lac class of active galactic nuclei, exhibiting intensive activity on parsec (pc) scales, such as intense core variability and multiple ejections of jet components. In particular, in previous works the existence of precession motions in the pc-scale jet of BL Lacertae has been suggested. In this work we revisit this issue, investigating temporal changes of the observed right ascension and declination offsets of the jet knots in terms of our relativistic jet-precession model. The seven free parameters of our precession model were optimized via a heuristic cross-entropy method, comparing the projected precession helix with the positions of the jet components on the plane of the sky and imposing constraints on their maximum and minimum superluminal velocities. Our optimized best model is compatible with a jet having a bulk velocity of 0.9824c, which is precessing with a period of about 12.1 yr in the observer's reference frame and changing its orientation in relation to the line of sight between 4 and 5 degrees, approximately. Assuming that the jet precession has its origin in a supermassive binary black hole system, we show that the 2.3-yr periodic variation in the structural position angle of the very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) core of BL Lacertae reported by Stirling et al. is compatible with a nutation phenomenon if the secondary black hole has a mass higher than about six times that of the primary black hole.

16 pages, 6 figures (including figure to be published in the online version of this manuscript), 1 table. Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

References in corpus (4)

• Doppler factors, Lorentz factors and viewing angles for quasars, BL Lacertae objects and radio galaxies
• Three dimensional magnetic field structure of six parsec-scale active galactic nuclei jets
• Aligning VLBI Images of Active Galactic Nuclei at Different Frequencies
• Warping and precession in galactic and extragalactic accretion disks

Cited by in corpus (38)

• Multiwavelength Evidence for Quasi-periodic Modulation in the Gamma-ray Blazar PG 1553+113
• A Population of Short-Period Variable Quasars from PTF as Supermassive Black Hole Binary Candidates
• Long-term optical monitoring of TeV emitting Blazars
• A quasi-periodic oscillation in the blazar J1359+4011
• Studies of the Jet in BL Lacertae I. Recollimation Shock and Moving Emission Features
• Detection of the first infra-red quasi periodic oscillation in a black hole X-ray binary
• A comprehensive power spectral density analysis of astronomical time series I: the Fermi-LAT gamma-ray light curves of selected blazars
• A spinning supermassive black hole binary model consistent with VLBI observations of the S5 1928+738 jet
• Jet precession driven by a supermassive black hole binary system in the BL Lac object PG 1553+113
• Studies of the Jet in BL Lacertae. II. Superluminal Alfvén Waves
• A Consolidated Framework of the Color Variability in Blazars: Long-Term Optical/Near-Infrared Observations of 3C 279
• Precession-induced Variability in AGN Jets and OJ 287
• Polarization swings in blazars
• A ring accelerator? Unusual jet dynamics in the IceCube candidate PKS 1502+106
• Variability studies and modeling of the blazar PKS 2155-304 in the light of a decade of multi-wavelength observations
• Radio jet precession in M81*
• Double-peaked Lines, Dual VLBI Components, and Precessing Jets in J1328+2751
• Multiple Wavelength Variability and Quasi-Periodic Oscillation of PMN J0948+0022
• Detection of Very Low-Frequency Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in the 2015 Outburst of V404 Cygni
• Periodic Gamma-ray Modulation of the blazar PG 1553+113 Confirmed by Fermi-LAT and Multi-wavelength Observations
• Testing relativistic boost as the cause of gamma-ray quasi-periodic oscillation in a blazar
• Detection of a high-confidence quasi-periodic oscillation in radio light curve of the high redshift FSRQ PKS J0805-0111
• ALiCCE: Atomic Lines Calibration using the Cross-Entropy Algorithm
• Geometrical and Kinematic Parameters of the Jet of the Blazar S5 0716+71 in a Helical-Jet Model
• Radio Crickets: Chirping Jets from Black Hole Binaries Entering their Gravitational Wave Inspiral
• Search for periodicities in High Energy AGNs with a time-domain approach
• 18-22 cm VLBA Faraday rotation studies of six AGN jets
• High-energy signatures of binary systems of supermassive black holes
• A self-lensing supermassive binary black hole at radio frequencies: the story of Spikey continues
• Highly Variable $\gamma$-Ray Emission of CTD 135 and Implications for its Compact Symmetric Structure
• Kinematic study of the parsec-scale jet of the quasar PKS 1741--03
• A VLBI Proper Motion Analysis of the Recoiling Supermassive Black Hole Candidate Mrk 1018
• Searching for supermassive black holes binaries within SRG/eROSITA-De I: Properties of the X-ray selected candidates
• About 300 days optical quasi-periodic oscillations in the long-term light curves of the blazar PKS 2155-304
• Broadband Spectro-temporal Study on Blazar TXS 1700+685
• Parsec-scale jet precession and a putative supermassive binary black hole system in the blazar AO 0235+164
• SDSS J153231.80+420342.7: a triple black hole candidate with a close binary black hole
• Unveiling the Complex Jet Dynamics in the Blazar 2021+317 through Multi-Epoch VLBI Observations